


Surprise

by thepilot



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Meetings, M/M, Night Sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 12:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16810303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepilot/pseuds/thepilot
Summary: Written in honor of Riz Ahmed's Birthday.





	Surprise

“Uncle Bo! Uncle Bo! Tell us your story again! About the magic Prince!”

Bodhi chuckled, tucking a stray hair behind his ear as he finished tucking into bed a very wide-eyed young girl.

“Rey, I just told you that story last week!”

“We know, Uncle Bo,” a boy’s voice called out from across the room, “but we want to hear it again!”  
  
“Alright Finn, alright. But you all have to promise that you’ll be good and go right to bed once I'm finished?” There was a general murmur of “yes” and “we promise” from the other children in Bodhi’s orphanage. Bodhi smiled and nodded to each child, his hair bun bobbing up and down. Eager eyes peeked up from blankets as Bodhi began his tale.

“Once upon a time, on this very moon, lived a young prince. But he was no ordinary prince. His mother was a descendant of the Night Sisters, and magic of the Force was in his blood. He and his mother were poor, and they lived alone, the Prince’s father being a King who had died tragically fighting for his kingdom when the Empire first occupied the planet. The Prince didn't remember much of his father, and most importantly, he didn't even know he was a Prince!

One day, when the Prince was in the market with his mother, a fight broke out between the occupational forces and the native Jedhans that caused the Prince to be separated from his mother. He cried out, frantically looking everywhere for her, but it was no use. Full of fear, and hearing the blaster fire, the Prince sought refuge in an alleyway that was quiet and dark. He curled himself up and began to cry for a time, until he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up to see a cloaked boy, not much older than himself, 10 or so, crouch down in front of him with a great frown. ‘What are you doing here, little bunny?’ the boy asked. The Prince looked from side to side and realized that in his terror, he'd turned himself into a bunny! It was a magic skill he'd only managed on a few occasions before. The Prince sniffed and the boy smiled. ‘I'll protect you, little bun. There's too much fighting going on.’

The boy scooped the rabbit Prince up in his arms and ran with him out into the streets. He darted past storm troopers and partisans, all firing at one another, and managed to run inside a doorway. Once inside, the Prince saw that it was a hideout of some kind, with all sorts of people running about. A stern looking man stopped in his tracks and pointed a finger at the boy. ‘I told you not to go running off! And what are you doing with that creature?’ The boy held the rabbit Prince close to him and spoke with much conviction. ‘It's a good thing I found this poor bunny! He could've been hurt! He's done nothing! I saved him!’ The man looked at the boy a few moments before letting out a great sigh. ‘Fine. Take it to your room and stay out of trouble.’

The boy said nothing as he ran through the maze of people conversing or working at computer systems and up a narrow staircase that led to several doors. The boy darted inside one of the doors and the rabbit Prince took in the sight of the small bed, desk, and wardrobe that barely fit inside the compact space. With much delicacy, the boy placed the Prince on his bed and knelt down so that he was face to face with him. ‘I don't have much to eat, but I've got some ration bars, little bunny.’ As the boy turned to rummage about his room, the Prince turned back into his human form once more. The boy jumped back, but rather than being scared or angry, he looked curious. ‘How did you do that?’ he asked simply. The Prince blushed and ducked his head, his legs hanging off the bed. ‘I can't always control my magic. It's the Force, but I don't know much about it.’

‘Are you a Jedi?’ the boy asked. The Prince shook his head.

‘No. At least, I don't think I am. But I'd like to be!’ The boy grinned and nodded.

‘Me too. My parents died when I was six. Sometimes I think I could've saved them if I was a Jedi.’

The Prince sighed. ‘I lost my mom in the market today. There was fighting and we got separated and so I hid. That's when you found me.’

‘I can help you find her again,’ the boy said with determination.

‘I thought you were supposed to stay out of trouble,’ the Prince said with a frown. The boy shook his head.

‘This is helping. It's different. Come on, I know a secret way out of here.’

The Prince followed the boy down the hallway once more, but rather than go back to the staircase, the boy led them to another room. With a little finessing of the door, it popped open and they stepped inside. The room looked much the same as the boy’s room had, except it didn't look occupied. The boy went straight for window and lifted it up, then started climbing out.

‘What are you doing? You'll fall!’ the Prince yelled. The boy smirked.

‘This window opens out onto a lower roof. We can walk across this roof and then down the fire escape.’

The Prince looked around nervously before going to the window, looking down and seeing that it did indeed open onto another roof not even three feet below. The boy hopped out of the window and waited for the Prince, who crawled out with a little help from the boy. They managed to close the window back up and walked across the roof to the fire escape, climbing down to the street below.

‘I live near here! I didn't notice before!’ the Prince said with glee.

‘Maybe your mom is home?’ the boy suggested. The Prince led the way to his house, and sure enough his mom was standing just outside, talking frantically with a neighbor. The Prince ran into his mother's arms and she nearly collapsed at the sight of him.

‘My sweet, sweet boy, where did you run off to? I thought you'd been captured!’

The Prince shook his head, tears in his eyes. ‘I looked all over for you, but I got lost. My friend helped bring me home,’ the Prince said, turning to where the boy had been. But when he looked, there was no one there. ‘He's gone!’ the Prince exclaimed.

‘If he is a friend that truly loves you, he will be back some day, I'm sure.’

And with that, the mother and the Prince returned home, safe and sound.”

Bodhi had been so focused on his story, he'd not noticed that all of the children had fallen asleep. Except for Rey, who was still looking at him with wide, curious eyes.

“Did the boy ever come back for the Prince? Does the Prince ever find out he's a Prince? What happens to his powers when he gets older? Can he still be a rabbit?”

Bodhi smiled and bent low to kiss Rey’s forehead, tucking the sheets around her a bit more. “Maybe that can be another story for another night?”

Rey shook her head in agreement, and made to close her eyes, but they soon sprang open once more. “What about your friends, Uncle Bo? The other Rebels from Scarif? Do you still see them?”

A lump rose in Bodhi’s throat: he'd been so focused on setting up the orphanage on NiJedha, he'd almost forgotten the pain of being separated from his Rebel friends.

“I'm sure I'll see them again someday,” he managed to say.

“If they truly love you, they'll be back some day,” Rey said wisely. Bodhi couldn't help but smile sadly at her words.

“Goodnight, my sweet girl,” he said softly.

“Goodnight, Uncle Bo.”

Bodhi crept quietly from the room, his mind suddenly racing with thoughts of all his friends. He wondered if they still thought about him, or what they were even doing. It wasn't long before Bodhi found himself at his desk once more, a well-trodden path his feet seemed to lead him to without much brain power lately. He sat with a great sigh, leaning forward on his desk with his elbows. It wasn't until he'd been staring at his calendar for some time that he fully took in the date.

“Tomorrow is my birthday. I wonder if anyone even knows?” 


End file.
